London Wasps 24 Northampton Saints 26: match report - Telegraph Club London Wasps 24 Northampton Saints 26: match report Read a full match report of the Aviva Premiership game between London Wasps and Northampton Saints at Adams Park on Saturday March 23 2013. Get in: Elliot Daly of Wasps scores his team's second try Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Paul Bolton , at Adams Park 5:00PM GMT 23 Mar 2013 Wasps’ financial may have improved with the news of significant new investment but their hopes of qualifying for the Premiership play-offs suffered a setback with an agonising last-gasp defeat, their eighth in a r ow against Northampton, in a High Wycombe snowstorm. Wasps threatened to overcome he handicaps of having three forwards sin-binned and being pummelled up front until Christian Day burrowed over from close range from the final play of the match and Stephen Myler slotted the winning conversion. It was heart-breaking for Wasps who recovered from conceding three first half tries from line-out drives to snatch the lead when wing Elliot Daly cleverly picked his way round four tacklers for a superb individual try.

Wasps are now seven points adrift of the play-off places which represents a significant shift in their fortunes from 12 months ago when they were threatened with relegation and bankruptcy and their only concern was survival. The survived on both fronts but the financial situation has remained precarious despite a cash injection from a consortium led by former player Ken Moss. Related Articles Wasps eye Griffin Park move 22 Mar 2013 That is all set to change with Irish businessman Derek Richardson poised to become the club’s major shareholder as was exclusively revealed in yesterday’s ‘Daily Telegraph.’ Wasps declined to comment on Richardson’s impending investment, which may lead to a move to a relocation to Brentford football club’s revamped Griffin Park. But Nick Eastwood, the Wasps chief executive, may have given the game away in his programme notes for yesterday’s match. “We have been working hard in making headway in clearing a lot of outstanding debt and we are close to being able to discuss new investment in the club,” Eastwood wrote.

“I appreciate there has been a lot of patience from fans on this front but until all the I’s have been dotted and t’s crossed we obviously are not in a position to be more forthcoming.” There is still much for Wasps to do on the field before the former Premiership and European champions are a major force again. Northampton played the conditions perfectly by opting to kick for touch rather than goal into the wind in the first half. Wasps struggled to cope with a driving line out that was predictable but effective. There was no second chance when Thomas was sin-binned for collapsing a line-out as referee David Rose marched under the posts and awarded the penalty try. Scrum-half Lee Dickson claimed the second try while fit-again Tom Palmer was in the sin bin and Wasps crumpled at another close range line-out but Tom Varndell began the fightback when he conjured a try from nothing. Varndell collected a long pass close to half way but skipped round James Wilson and purred away for the 72nd Premiership try of his career. Northampton kept it simple and direct and their third try followed from another driving maul after Graham Hughes, the television match official, decided that Dylan Hartley had driven over from close range.

Even when they had the wind at their backs in the second half Northampton did not change their tactics. They spurned kickable penalties and instead went for touch but Wasps shored up their defence and Stephen Jones levelled the scores with a 60th minute penalty. Daly shrugged off tackles from Wilson, Myler, Ben Foden and Martin Roberts and managed to dot the ball down before he was bundled into touch. It was a brilliant finish that might have turned the game but Northampton held their nerve and made their numerical advantage count when Ashley Johnson was sin-binned for another offence at a maul. “They used their one weapon well, they didn’t try or didn’t need to play in the other way,” said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young. “The top and bottom of it was you are always going to struggle when you cannot stop driving line-outs.” There was obvious relief from Jim Mallinder, Young’s Northampton counterpart, who feared that his side’s forward domination might not have been enough to force victory. “It was a game that we controlled but a team like Wasps can score points very quickly and the tries they scored came from a couple of our mistakes and our ill-discipline,” he said.

Match details Scoring: 0-5 Penalty try; 0-7 Myler con; 3-7 Daly pen; 3-12 Dickson try; 8-12 Varndell try; 10-12 Stephen Jones con; 13-12 Stephen Jones pen; 13-17 Hartley try; 13-19 Myler con; 16-19 Stephen Jones pen; 19-19 Stephen Jones pen; 19-24 Daly; 24-24 Day try: 24-26 Myler con Wasps: H Southwell (captain); T Varndell (A Masi 60), E Daly, C Bell, C Wade; Stephen Jones (N Robinson 63), J Simpson; T Payne (Z Taulafo 49), R Thomas (T Lindsay 53), P Swainston (W Taylor 65), T Palmer (J Launchbury 49), M Wentzel, A Johnson, Sam Jones (J Haskell 49), B Vunipola Northampton: B Foden; J Wilson, G Pisi, D Waldouck

, J Elliott; S Myler, L Dickson (M Roberts 54); S Tonga’uiha (A Waller 69), D Hartley (captain), T Mercey (B Mujati 49), C Lawes, C Day, S Manoa, P Dowson, G-J van Velze (T Wood 49).Referee: Mr D Rose (Plymouth) Attendance: 7,193 Information - Wasps FC - Rugby in West London.

London Wasps - The Professional Era The 1990s had been a phenomenal period for Wasps and Rugby Union in general. The dawning of the professional era had seen Wasps assemble one of the most powerful playing squads in the country. The diversity of the team was demonstrated in 1993 when Wasps added the Middlesex Sevens title to their Honours list. The modern day Wasps team is a formidable combination of talented youngsters and experienced internationals. Under the leadership of England and British Lion, Lawrence Dallaglio, the squad triumphed over the challenges of the new professional era. The 96/97 campaign was perhaps the highlight of Wasps long and distinguished history with a series of electrifying performances clinching the first professional League Championship. The next season saw a Tetley's Bitter Cup Final appearance and in 1999 Wasps went one better to win the Cup for the first time in their history to prove once again that the Black and Golds fully deserved their place amongst the Ã©lite clubs in England.

This feat was repeated in 2000, when Wasps returned to Twickenham to retain the Tetley Bitter Cup, beating Northampton in front of their delighted fans. Mark Weedon lifted the trophy that day in the absence of Dallaglio while Andy Reid (Scotland), was another Wasps that became an international while playing for the club. End of the Melville Era The 2001/2002 season was one of mixed fortunes, that's how one can describe it. Finishing runners-up in the Zurich Premiership the 2001/2002 season looked promising for the Black and Gold Army but unfortunately didn't live up to expectations. With a slow start and a barrage of injuries, the season got a vital boost when former New Zealand Rugby International and Ireland National coach Warren Gatland replaced Nigel Melville as the Director of Rugby. After months of speculation Melville moved to Gloucester and Gatland took over the reigns.

The rewards were instant and with his new playing style and the return of many players from injury including captain Lawrence Dallaglio, flyhalf Alex King and flanker Paul Volley, London Wasps climbed off the bottom position in the Zurich Premiership to end mid- table; this remarkable turnaround included six consecutive wins including a magnificent 34-24 win over eventual European Champions Leicester Tigers. Gatland finished the season in charge with his record as played eight, won six and lost two. As far as players go, "Kinga" proved remarkable with the boot and slotted an astonishing 10 drop goals during the Zurich Premiership season and ended up second in the drop-goal table. The 2001/2002 season also saw the retirement of one of rugby's greatest players, Ian Jones. The New Zealand lock moved to London Wasps mid-season and his vast amount of experience and leadership proved an inspiration for many of the young players. Jones said, " I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Wasps and whatever happens I will always have a soft spot for the side and look back on my time here with fond memories". Jones eventually hung up his boots at the end of the season.

As far as the Heineken Cup goes, London Wasps failed to reach their true potential as a force in European Rugby. Finishing third in a group that included Treviso, Ulster and Stade Francais unfortunately excluded them from the play-offs. In the Powergen Cup, the deadly boot of Jonny Wilkinson - who scored all his side's points, gave defending champions Newcastle Falcons a 24-22 fifth-round victory and sank any chance of London Wasps reaching the last eight. Wilkinson's injury-time drop goal secured victory for the Falcons and summed up London Wasps' season, full of missed chances and very unlucky. The 2001/2002 season also saw the last game at Loftus Road for the next two years as the 2002/2003 season would see them playing at Adams Park in High Wycombe. The final game was against Northampton Saints, which was an emotional moment for many of the players, staff and officials. Unfortunately, Wasps fate had already been sealed before Gatland took over and so the Black and Gold Army would spend the season contesting the Parker Pen Challenge Cup.

The Warren Gatland Era The 2002/2003 season could possibly be described as the greatest ever in Wasps history. At the start of the season, Wasps made the biggest signing in the Premiership as Welsh legend Rob Howley joined the club. Howley's impact was immediate and laid part of the platform for the greatest season of all time. Unfortunately the side got off to a bad start and found themselves in sixth position in the league. November 2002 was the worst patch as the side failed to win any games during that month. However, a surprise away win at the Leeds Tykes saw the Black and Gold Army turn the season completely around and go on to win the Zurich Premiership and Parker Pen Challenge Cup Trophies. Under the guidance of Gatland, the side went on to win 18 of the final 21 games. Some of the highlights of the season were: Watching Lawrence Dallaglio lift the Zurich Premiership Trophy at Twickenham was the cherry on top of a very successful season. The final itself saw Wasps putting Gloucester to the sword. The try in the first minute from Josh Lewsey laid the platform for the 39-3 victory.

Seeing Gloucester humbled in front of their fans in such a brutal way was something Wasps fans will never forget and might never see again. Watching Lawrence Dallaglio lift the Parker Pen Challenge Cup, the first piece of silverware for Wasps since 2000, was something that brought a lump to everyone's throat. Winning that trophy was the catalyst that allowed the team to enter the arena of Twickenham in a positive frame of mind. Three tries in the first half and it was game over for Bath. Moving to Causeway Park and the Buckinghamshire community coming in their droves to support Wasps was a success story in itself. I'm sure many people would agree that Adams Park is a better 'rugby' ground than Lotus Road and that the new home has a much friendlier family environment. Wasps' will spend another season in High Wycombe and a decision on what the next move might be will follow later in the season. The marketing and community teams ensured Wasps ticket sales increased dramatically this season. The international success of our players. Lawrence Dallaglio found his old form again and led by example securing his regular place in Clive Woodward's team.

Josh Lewsey scoring two tries at Twickenham during the Six Nations made everyone stand up and take notice of just what a deadly player he is. Kenny Logan shining in what was a struggling Scotland side allowed him to receive the Man of the Match award for Scotland's game against Italy and booked a place in his country's tour to South Africa. Joe Worsley and Simon Shaw once again stood tall amongst the England pack and can hold their heads high in helping England secure the Grand Slam. On the same day as England were winning in Dublin, Phil Greening captained the England Sevens Team to their second IRB Hong Kong Sevens title. Let's not forget Trevor Leota's selection for Samoa. The big hooker toured South Africa in June and barring injury looks set for the World Cup. However the highlight of the season might still be coming as before the Twickenham final, Woodward summoned 11 Wasps players to international duties for the month of June. Those chosen to tour Australia and New Zealand in addition to the now usual selections of Lewsey, Shaw, Worsley and Dallaglio were Stuart Abbott, Alex King and Paul Volley.

If that was not enough, Woodward chose Will Green, Phil Greening, Fraser Waters and Martyn Wood for England's North American tour. Sure Wood at the end of the season moved to Bath, but his selection was chosen on his Wasps' performance. The history of Wasps is a long and proud one and if next season is anything like the past few years, the loyal fans of Wasps are in for some great times. London Wasps is certainly a Club and Team to be proud of and we look forward to this Rugby World Cup year to see our stars set the world alight. The FC retains extremely close links with our profession brothers and still own approximately 5% of the company. At present one men's team is steadily climbing up the HertsMiddlesex Leagues and are currently looking fro promotion to Division 1. Two very successful ladies teams supply a steady stream of England players. The Youth section has several championship sides and the minis compete actively at the higher levels. Where next?

 History 2 The Middle Years Pre-Second World War and the Greatest Ever Wasp Prior to the Second World War Affiliations Wasps reap reward from Ricoh gamble | The Independent Club Rugby Wasps reap reward from Ricoh gamble Attendances and hopes are booming since Wasps were sent to Coventry, writes Chris Hewett. Now for a place in next season's Champions Cup Friday 24 April 2015 17:11 BST Click to follow The Independent Online The Wasps team run on to the pitch for their first game at the Ricoh Arena, against London Irish, in December GETTY IMAGES The journey from blue-collar rugby club to blue-chip rugby trailblazer sounds like a long and arduous one, but Wasps have shown just how short the time travel element can be. “We first came to look at this place just before Christmas in 2013 and moving here became a serious option in the middle of last year,” says Nick Eastwood, recently promoted from chief executive to deputy chairman, during a guided tour of the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

“It’s happened astonishingly quickly.” As Eastwood knows better than anyone – he is, after all, the man with the figures on his laptop – the former European champions’ move from north London to the West Midlands is bearing fruit even more rapidly. If you want numbers, he can hit you with them straight between the eyes: attendances have tripled, hospitality business has risen by 500 per cent, retail revenue is up by a factor of 20. Close to bankruptcy more than once in recent years, Wasps suddenly have the biggest turnover of any Premiership club and believe they will knock Toulouse off the top spot in Europe in 2018, if not before. It is hard to imagine a greater transformation. Wasps were the last English team to prevail in Europe – they beat Leicester in an all-Premiership final at Twickenham in 2007 – and on current projections they may also be the next one.

David Young, their rugby director, is profoundly Micawberish in his reluctance to throw good money after bad, having spent the early part of his tenure wondering where the next penny was coming from, but he is now in a position to bid for the biggest names, which is no bad place to be in World Cup year. As for those who believe English club rugby is about more than money – yes, there are still people who cling to such quaint views – they will be interested to learn that the move, deeply divisive in Wasps circles when first announced, appears to be working on many other levels. Two-thirds of the supporters who bought season tickets on the assumption that the club would continue to play at Adams Park in High Wycombe have renewed for next term. As for the players… “I think the big question they asked themselves was whether they wanted to play their rugby at a Fourth Division football ground, or in a world-class arena,” Eastwood says, standing on one of the balconies overlooking a stadium that accommodates the best part of 33,000 spectators – one that will be damned near full when Leicester come to town for the penultimate round of Premiership matches in a fortnight’s time.

“I think the move showed them exactly where we wanted to take the club – demonstrated the scale of our ambition. Was it a factor in Joe Launchbury [the much sought-after England lock] re-signing with us? I think it was.” A walk through the Ricoh complex with Eastwood is only marginally less arduous than a hike with Sir Ranulph Fiennes. “When I show people round, there are moments when they start laughing at the sheer size of it,” he says during a perambulation around 6,000 square metres of exhibition space, a hotel that will soon come under the Hilton franchise and a casino that may not be big enough for Joe Pesci but certainly has the potential to earn its keep at the southern end of the M6. “Sometimes, I get lost myself.” Which brings us to a serious question: namely, did Wasps lose their soul when they found the Ricoh? The move north, subject to confidentiality protocols until very late in the day, hit some of the club’s longest-standing followers for six, and several big-name players from the amateur era said they would rather cross the Thames to watch Harlequins than spend their weekends in “bloody Coventry”.

It was difficult not to sympathise with some of the outpourings. Joe Simpson scores a try for Wasps “It wasn’t an easy situation in those early days,” Eastwood acknowledges. “We knew there would be an emotional reaction, for perfectly understandable reasons, and all of us involved in this venture felt for those who raised objections. The first 48 hours, in particular, were very tough. Let’s face it: you don’t want to be standing in front of someone who is telling you, with tears in his eyes, that he won’t be able to travel as far as Coventry to watch his team play. “But hell, it was necessary for us to do this. Why? Because the situation we were in was unsustainable. And after the initial expressions of shock, so many people understood that fact. They got it. When I’m carried out of here, I know I’ll be able to say that we did the right thing for the club. “There were three principal factors that persuaded us that this was the way to go and they were of equal weight: the quality of the facility on offer; the deep-rooted rugby culture in the Coventry area, together with the latent support; and the enthusiasm of the city council, and others.

To have brought this project to fruition in six months would have been remarkable in the private sector. To have done it in the public sector is something else again. “Did we foresee such rapid success? Of course not. If we’d predicted it, we’d have been accused of being nuts. But looking at it from where we are now, I believe we can sustain it if we keep working as hard as we are. There was always going to be a novelty period, when people came along to see what was happening, but I think that has played itself out. There is a passion for rugby in this area and you can see that in the advance sales for the Leicester match. People here will come out in their thousands for a game of tiddlywinks if they think there’s a chance of beating Leicester at it.” Eastwood is talking rugby modernism here: the commercial model he and his colleagues are putting in place will, in the fullness of time, be one-third rugby and two-thirds “other”. This, he believes, is the way forward – perhaps the only way for an English club to stack up against the powerhouse French teams, financed as many of them are by multinational businesses rooted in their localities.

But none of this will go to plan if Wasps mess up on the field. What are the targets for Young and his squad between now and, say, the 2019 World Cup in Japan? “I concluded a long time ago that target-setting creates more problems than it solves,” Eastwood replies. “Running a professional sports set-up in a brutally competitive environment like rugby is different to running a biotech company, where any number of firms can be flying simultaneously. If you take the view that winning the Premiership or the European Champions Cup is the only way of being successful, there is a heck of a lot of failure. And if you do set targets, you have to ask yourself what steps you’re prepared to take if they’re missed. Sack the whole coaching team? That would be pretty drastic. “You have to understand where you are and where you’re trying to go, and you must take a realistic, coldly objective view of the size of the gap between those two points. If you reach a situation where a coach thinks the gap is much smaller than it actually is, there’s a problem building up.

But to produce a document saying, ‘We need to win this trophy by this date’, is not my idea of a constructive way forward.” For all that, Wasps have set themselves one immediate target: qualification for next season’s Champions Cup, as of right. Victory over Exeter tomorrow will put them within touching distance. The way things are going for them right now, anyone betting against them in the Ricoh casino might soon be parted from his chips. Wasps vs Castres match report: Wasps sign off in style in final fling at charmless Adams Park | The Independent Wasps vs Castres match report: Wasps sign off in style in final fling at charmless Adams Park Wasps 44 Castres 17 Sunday 14 December 2014 20:40 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Wasps’ Tom Varndell scores his second try PA Most of the old Heineken Cup’s multiple winners relied on the intimidating grandeur of their home cathedrals: would Leicester have won back-to-back titles but for the strength they drew from Welford Road, or Munster achieved what they did without the Thomond Park factor? Wasps were the exception.

Adams Park, no more than a tin-roofed chapel by comparison – a chapel that generated all the atmosphere of a long-forgotten sarcophagus – was not a key component in the triumphs of the mid-Noughties. So, as a miserable crowd of just over 6,000 wended their way to the far end of a nondescript industrial estate in High Wycombe to watch the Londoners’ final game in the home counties before their much-publicised move north to Coventry, it was impossible not to think that the two-time champions will be well out of the place. It was also reasonable to wonder how the heck they managed to be so extraordinarily successful over the first eight years of their 12-year tenancy at a stadium wholly unsuited to their purposes. Happily, there are clear signs that once they get their feet under the table at their new place – the Ricoh Arena, which they own lock, stock and barrel – a return to the glory days of the past may not be too far in the future.

They played some brilliant stuff yesterday, albeit against a Castres side in freefall, and in securing a second successive bonus point victory, they turned Pool Two of the new European Champions Cup into a three-horse race rather than one of the two-horse variety. Not that the tidings were uniformly glad. David Young, the Wasps rugby director, seemed just a little glum about the prospects of Joe Launchbury, the England lock, recovering from his neck injury this side of the new year holiday. Indeed, he was not at all certain that Launchbury stood a snowball’s chance in hell of being available for the opening Six Nations match with Wales in Cardiff at the start of February. “Joe’s rehabilitation isn’t coming along as quickly as we would like,” Young confessed, “and he’s seeing a consultant next week to look at where we go from here. Whether it takes him another two or three weeks or another two or three months, the important thing is to get him 100 per cent right.” Launchbury missed England’s autumn series in its entirety and has not played a game in anger since the painful defeat by Harlequins in this tournament at the back end of October.

Even if he completes his rehab in reasonably quick time – and the player himself was hopeful yesterday of a return next month – he will have lost too much ground to stake a serious claim for a red-rose role at the Millennium Stadium. Fans say their farewells to Adams' Park Still, it cannot be argued that Wasps are missing him just at the moment. Bradley Davies and Kearnan Myall put in a very decent boilerhouse shift in this game – Myall’s contribution to the first of Tom Varndell’s excellent tries was nothing short of inspirational by second-row standards – and with the outstanding back-row combination of Ashley Johnson, James Haskell and Nathan Hughes continuing onwards and upwards, the pack finally has something about it after a lengthy spell of powder-puff fragility. Indeed, the opening score of the game fell to the tight-head prop Jake Cooper-Woolley, who also made his presence felt in manhandling Castres’ most powerful individual, the South African No 8 Jannie Bornman, on several occasions. This was far from an significant development.

Cooper-Woolley’s efforts last season, his first at Premiership level, marked him out as an unvarnished gem: an X-factor performer around the field, if a trifle suspect at the set-piece and a notch off the pace in conditioning terms. Yesterday, he shaded his scrum contest with Saimone Taumoepeau – a New Zealand international, no less – and looked significantly more mobile than at any point in his career to date. Wasps, fully aware of the importance of a bonus-point victory, had it wrapped up as early as the 38th minute. Two of their first-half tries resulted from clever passing under pressure: Haskell’s delivery to Hughes was perfectly timed, as was Rob Miller’s freeing of Myall, who then did everything right in opening things up for Varndell. The fact that Ben Jacobs’ subsequent score was distinctly fortunate, arising as it did from a poorly controlled Castres scrum, merely proved that fortune favours the bold.

European Champions Cup in pictures European Champions Cup in pictures 1/50 Northampton Saints 8 Racing Metro 32 Benjamin Lapeyre celebrates with his Racing Metro team-mates Getty Images 2/50 Northampton Saints 8 Racing Metro 32 Juan Imhoff scores for Racing Metro Getty Images 3/50 Northampton Saints 8 Racing Metro 32 Dylan Hartley sits on the bench after being sin-binned in Northampton's defeat to Racing Metro Getty Images 4/50 Northampton Saints 8 Racing Metro 32 Tom Wood looks on in dejection after suffering and ankle injury Getty Images 5/50 Wasps 20 Leinster 20 Nathan Hughes scores for Wasps in the 20-20 draw with Leinster Getty Images 6/50 Wasps 20 Leinster 20 Andy Goode reacts to his missed drop goal in the final play of the 20-20 draw between Wasps and Leinster Getty Images 7/50 Wasps 20 Leinster 20 Tom Varndell closes in on the try line Getty Images 8/50 Wasps 20 Leinster 2

0 Rob Kearney attempts to ride the tackle from Christian Wade Getty Images 9/50 Castres 17 Harlequins 47 Nick Easter in action for Harlequins in the win over Castres Getty Images 10/50 Castres 17 Harlequins 47 Marland Yarde scores on of Harlequins' seven tries Getty Images 11/50 Castres 17 Harlequins 47 Nick Evans seeks a team-mate as he breaks the Castres line Getty Images 12/50 Castres 17 Harlequins 47 Harlequins' pack carries the ball forwards towards the line Getty Images 13/50 Ospreys 9 Northampton Saints 20 George North breaks through the Ospreys defence to score for Northampton on Sunday Getty 14/50 Toulouse 18 Bath 35 Francois Louw scored Bath’s final try against Toulouse to earn a bonus-point win on Sunday PA 15/50 Toulon 60 Ulster 22 Nicolas Sanchez dives over the line for a try Getty Images 16/50 Toulon 

60 Ulster 22 Mathieu Bastareuad barrells his way over for a try against Ulster Getty Images 17/50 Toulon 60 Ulster 22 Bryan Habana touches the ball down for one of Toulon's eight tries Getty Images 18/50 Saracens 33 Munster 10 Chris Ashton celebrates a try against Munster Getty Images 19/50 Saracens 33 Munster 10 Billy Vunipola evades the clutches of Dave Foley Getty Images 20/50 Saracens 33 Munster 10 Jacques Burger and Peter O'Mahony clash during Saracens' win over Munster Getty Images 21/50 Leicester 40 Scarlets 23 Harry Robinson scored two tries in response for the Scarlets Getty Images 22/50 Leicester 40 Scarlets 23 Tom Youngs slides in for his second try of the match Getty Images 23/50 Leicester 40 Scarlets 23 Julian Salvi attempts to sneak around the fringe of the scrum to tackle Rob McCusker Getty Images 24/5

0 Clermont Auvergne 26 Munster 19 Peter O'Mahony tackles Aurelien Rougerie GETTY IMAGES 25/50 Wasps 44 Castres 17 Wasps’ Tom Varndell scores his second try PA 26/50 Wasps 44 Castres 17 Fans say their farewells to Adams' Park REX 27/50 Saracens 28 Sale Sharks 15 Alex Goode scores in the corner for Saracens Getty Images 28/50 Saracens 28 Sale Sharks 15 George Kruis tries to barge his way over scrum-half Will Cliff Getty Images 29/50 Toulon 23 Leicester Tigers 8 Mathieu Bastareaud dives in for Toulon's second try Getty Images 30/50 Toulon 23 Leicester Tigers 8 Leigh Halfpenny tries to sidestep Ben Youngs Getty Images 31/50 Toulon 23 Leicester Tigers 8 Mathieu Bastareaud tries to barge his way over Vereniki Goneva Getty Images 32/50 Toulon 

23 Leicester Tigers 8 Blaine Scully dives over in the corner to score for the Tigers Getty Images 33/50 Bath 32 Montpellier 12 Bath’s Matt Banahan (centre) and Sam Burgess (left) team up to send the former over for his first of three tries GETTY 34/50 Harlequins 24 Leinster 18 Harlequins Nick Easter and Luke Wallace hold up Jimmy Gopperth of Leinster REX 35/50 Castres 17 Wasps 32 Andy Goode kicked 12 points in the win Getty Images 36/50 Benetton Treviso 15 Northampton Saints 38 Ben Foden touches down to scores Northampton's third try against Treviso Getty Images 37/50 Sale Sharks 15 Saracens 19 Andrei Ostrikov scores for Sale against Saracens Getty Images 38/50 Montpellier 5 Bath 30 George Ford kicked 15 points as Bath strolled to victory Getty Images 39/50 Northampton Saints 34 Ospreys 6 George North of Northampton Saints scores

 the first try during the European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 5 match between Northampton Saints and Ospreys GETTY IMAGES 40/50 Ulster 13 Toulon 23 Toulon's English wing Delon Armitage scores his team's second try during the European Rugby Champions Cup match between Ulster and Toulon GETTY IMAGES 41/50 Bath 19 Toulouse 21 Dave Attwood of Bath pushes in a scrum as Imanol Harinordoquy (L) and Timoci Matanavou of Toulouse GETTY IMAGES 42/50 Leicester Tigers 25 Ulster 18 Owen Williams of Leicester Tigers in action during the Aviva Premiership match between Leicester Tigers and Harlequins at Welford Road GETTY IMAGES 43/50 Racing Metro 20 Northampton Saints 13 Northampton’s No 9 Kahn Fotuali’i passes from a scrum Getty IMages 44/50 Glasgow Warriors 37 Bath 10 Busting the line: Glasgow No 8 Adam Ashe makes a break Getty Images 45/50 Saracens 30 Clermont Auvergne 2

3 Chris Ashton capitalises on an error to score the match winning try GETTY IMAGES 46/50 Saracens 30 Clermont Auvergne 23 David Strettle touches down for a try in the corner GETTY IMAGES 47/50 Saracens 30 Clermont Auvergne 23 Zac Guildford scores a try to stretch Clermont's lead GETTY IMAGES 48/50 Sale Sharks 26 Munster 27 Munster players celebrate the victory over Sale after a late drop-goal from Ian Keatley Getty Images 49/50 Harlequins 25 Castres 9 England team-mates Danny Care and Marland Yarde celebrates after the scrum-half scores a try Getty Images Wasps' first home game at Ricoh Arena expected to attract record 27,000 - BBC News BBC News Wasps' first home game at Ricoh Arena expected to attract record 27,000 17 December 2014 Close share panel Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Wasps held a training session at the Ricoh Arena - the club's new home in Coventry - on Tuesday Wasps Rugby Club has said

 it is expecting a record crowd of about 27,000 people to watch the first game at its new home in Coventry on Sunday.

The Premiership team announced the controversial move from High Wycombe to the Ricoh Arena in October. The attendance would be an all-time home record for an Aviva Premiership Rugby fixture, Wasps said. The move has proved controversial but several High Wycombe-based fans said they understood the reasons behind it. "This would break the Aviva Premiership all time record for crowd attendance at a home game fixture," said the club, in a statement. Higher attendances have been recorded for clubs playing Premiership games away from their home stadiums - most notably London sides, including Wasps, playing at Twickenham. "Our average crowd attendance at Adams Park was around 5,000, so we are already over the moon at 27,000," the club said. "Hopefully that number will rise with four days still to go selling tickets." The capacity of the Ricoh is 32,609. Media captionAndy Goode says Wasps are ready for the Ricoh Arena opener The club put the sales down to Coventry's "strong appetite for rugby in a city which has rugby in its DNA". "Coventry Rugby Football Club has such a rich heritage and has enjoyed great success over the years," the statement added.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support of the local community." About 23,500 tickets have been sold and 3,500 school children invited to the game against London Irish. Nick Eastwood, Wasps chief executive, said the club was "absolutely thrilled". "When we started out, if you'd said we'd get to the mid-teens, we would've been absolutely delighted so now that we're well north of 20,000, we're absolutely thrilled." Wasps player Andy Goode, who is from Coventry, said he was excited to be playing at a world-class venue which would now be the "biggest and best rugby ground in the Premiership". Image copyright PA Image caption Wasps played their final match at Adams Park against Castres Olympique on Sunday In October Coventry councillors supported a deal to sell the authority's share in ACL - the company that runs the Ricoh Arena - to the Premiership rugby club, but there was an angry response from many fans on Twitter. One supporter, James Higson, tweeted : "What do you suggest we do now then? 6 hour round trip to Coventry every weekend?

Total disgrace, I'm no longer a Wasps fan." However, Wasps fan Ken Wyatt said that although many fans were angry when the move was first announced, people now felt more comfortable with it. "It's been explained properly now," he said. "People would rather Wasps found a decent home than went out of business." He said although he himself was not travelling to Coventry for the match, several fans were. Coventry City FC supporters group Sky Blue Trust earlier expressed concerns about Wasps taking a stake in the stadium, but later said it was a "new start" and the trust would seek a "good relationship" with its new landlord. The city already has a long-established rugby union club, Coventry, which was formed more than 130 years ago and currently plays in National League One. But Ann Lucas, leader of the Labour-run council, has said the deal "would not have happened if it threatened the future of the Sky Blues or Coventry Rugby Club". Image copyright Getty Images

Question: Rugby Union club London Wasps play their home games at Adams Park in which town?
Answer: High Wycombe